'Canes send ND packing

COLLEGE TENNIS

COLLEGE TENNIS

May 21, 2006

Seventh-ranked Miami (23-6) did what no other team did this season -- win the doubles point against No. 2 Notre Dame (27-2) -- and defeated the Irish 4-0 in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championship Friday evening at the San Francisco Tennis Club. Though eliminated, Notre Dame posted the second-most wins in program history and matched its deepest run in the Division I tournament. Miami's top two players -- senior Melissa Applebaum and sophomore Audra Cohen -- singlehandedly built a 3-0 lead for the Hurricanes and kept the Irish from gaining momentum. Rain forced the tournament indoors, and because of that only three courts initially were used. Because of that, Notre Dame's best three spots in its singles lineup -- Nos. 4, 5, and 6 -- did not get going until Miami was in control of the match. The 'Canes also prevailed in what turned out to be the two most important sets of the match -- at No. 1 doubles and in the opening frame of No. 3 singles -- to keep the Irish at bay. The all-important doubles point came down to the No. 1 match, which featured a clash between two of the nation's elite squads. Notre Dame junior All-Americans Catrina Thompson and Christian Thompson, ranked fifth in the nation and the No. 3 seed in next week's NCAA Doubles Championship, were edged 8-6 by the Miami duo of Audra Cohen and Melissa Applebaum, ranked second in the nation. MIAMI 4, NOTRE DAME 0 Singles No. 1: Audra Cohen (M) def. Catrina Thompson (ND) 6-2, 6-1; No. 2: Melissa Applebaum (M) def. Christian Thompson (ND) 6-3, 6-2; No. 3*: Monika Dancevic (M) def. Brook Buck (ND) 7-5, 6-3; No. 4: Audrey Banada (M) led Kelcy Tefft (ND) 6-2, abandoned; No. 5: Patricia Starzyk (M) led Kristina Stastny (ND) 6-2, 2-0, abandoned; No. 6: Katie Potts (ND) led Caren Seenauth 6-0, 2-1, abandoned Doubles No.1*: Applebaum/Cohen (M) def. Thompson/Thompson (ND) 8-6; No. 2: Banada/Dancevic (M) def. Buck/Tefft (ND) 8-2; No. 3: Lauren Connelly/Stastny (ND) def. Seenauth/Starzyk (M) 8-1. * - indicates clinching victory